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Coming to Saskatchewan has been an odd experience. Especially being from Toronto, coming to this province has been a major culture shock to me.

Getting off the plane, I was met with the smallest airport I have ever seen. With two luggage belts and barely a food court, I was met with temperatures that was in the -30s (but felt close to -40) when I stepped into the freezing Saskatchewan air.

Then came going to the house I was going to be in for the next couple of months. That was another surprise. With an unnecessary amount of front doors, I was immediately taken aback by the amount of boxes, books and miscellaneous clutter that was inside my landlord’s home.

That was the first night. I nearly broke down because I was so homesick.

Thankfully, my dad was staying with me for a couple of days to help me get settled. That whole weekend consisted of running errands all around Wal-Mart, Superstore and Canadian Tire.

Having went to school in my home city, I had never had to deal with the struggles of moving away. Why was it so expensive? Why is the food so pricey? Why is transit so horrible here? Why is nothing in Regina accessible for walkers?

Everything just felt so isolated over here. And I’ll admit, that I didn’t think I would survive for very long.

That being said though, it has since been two months. And, I’m still alive.

I am still getting used to my new surroundings, but I do know now that the first week is the hardest.

Currently, I am learning a lot at work, and have even been on the radio a couple of times. Moreover, I have even started directing the shows.

Of course, story pitches continue to remain a struggle. But as I continue to get to know my surroundings and make contacts, I have been able to find some good interview subjects for the shows I’m working on.

For now, I have at least another month to go. What I can hope for is to go on air more often and work on my story pitches. Regina may not be the city for me, but I do think the work experience here has been worth it.